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The Apple Glasses AR/VR headset completes engineering tests for a possible 2022 launch

By Daniel Petrov

Published: Feb 22, 2022, 4:47 AM

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Apple Wearables

The Apple Glasses AR/VR headset completes engineering tests for a possible 2022 launch

image: Apple Glasses concept by Martin Hajek

According to sources from the Taiwanese supply chain, Apple has already finished the last of the Engineering Validation Tests (EVT2) of its future Glass AR headset that is expected to be launched this year.

Next in line for the upcoming virtual reality wearable with a fruit logo is reportedly the design validation test (DVT) stage which, if passed successfully, could mean an Apple Glasses release in 2022, says Digitimes, despite that recently Mark Gurman, a Bloomberg analyst, predicted that the headgear won't be landing before 2023 rolls in.

Apple Glasses specs and features

With Apple Glasses price rumored to be around $3000 for a set of two 8K resolution displays and the necessary Apple Silicon chips needed to process all the visual information in a standalone manner that doesn't need to be hooked up to a computer.

Industry insiders out of Korea have tipped that LG Innotek, the company that supplied the cameras for LG's Android handsets of yesteryear, will be supplying the 3D time of flight (ToF) module that Apple plans to use for their virtual reality headset.

According to another storied Apple analyst, Ming-Chi Kuo, the Apple Glasses headset specs will include Wi-Fi 6E connectivity in order to provide the huge bandwidth needed to stream all these bits and bytes it will be generating.

That's also not hard to believe, given that there already exists virtual reality gear with Wi-Fi 6 connectivity out there, in the form of Facebook's Oculus Quest, which allows it to stream at up to 120Hz refresh rates.

Mr Kuo also claims that three major companies - Apple, Meta, and Sony - will have high-end mixed reality headgear with Wi-Fi 6/6E chips inside, perhaps having in mind the PlayStation VR2 model that is expected to land this year as well.

Apple Glasses price and release date

If the tentatively named Apple Glasses mixed reality headset is released in 2022, it may have to battle against Facebook (aka Meta)'s own such gear that is rumored to be launched this year as well. The Apple headset will also be "pricey," according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman in his PowerOn Apple-themed newsletter edition, and that price is said to be in the realm of $2999.

Still, Apple has been talking about the possibilities that mixed reality offers for so long ago, adapting its products and programming SDK packages for a major AR/VR push, that a dedicated augmented reality headset could very well be a gamechanger for the industry, if and when it falls down from that rumored $3000 Apple Glasses price tag.

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Daniel, a devoted tech writer at PhoneArena since 2010, has been engrossed in mobile technology since the Windows Mobile era. His expertise spans mobile hardware, software, and carrier networks, and he's keenly interested in the future of digital health, car connectivity, and 5G. Beyond his professional pursuits, Daniel finds balance in travel, reading, and exploring new tech innovations, while contemplating the ethical and privacy implications of our digital future.